Jacob Tender

I had a feeling from the cover that there would be a True Detective, season 1 vibe to this. I wasn't too far off.

Tropey, but enjoyable.

Certainly a strong follow-up to volume one. Heavy-focus on discovery and backstory. Things are coming to a head.

I think the diminishing page counts hurts this story a bit. The world and mystery that’s built up in the first and second volume is good, but the runout is too fast. I finished book 3 unsatisfied.

Weylan Seppala is a small-town blacksmith who has no time for fate or destiny. Fortunately (or unfortunately), a mischievous wizard named Hornbeam comes along and upends his life. Weylan is roped into a quest to find the knowledge and material to forge a legendary blade before they are overtaken by the wicked Mother of Diseases.

After meeting a handful of new allies, he meets a young girl with a traumatic past who wields an immense and horrifying power. Though dangerous, she may be the only one who stands between victory and death. Can Weylan and Hornbeam help her escape her wicked family and defeat the Mother of Diseases before the world is overrun with darkness?

Weylan is not the one destined to wield the blade, so Hornbeam decides to recruit a drunken, regret-filled mercenary who long ago gave up a life lived in glorious combat. Though the warrior is hesitant to join the quest, his horse is more than willing to lead the charge.

Traveling through marshes, woodlands, and over the sea, Weylan meets many dangerous and mythical creatures, many of whom are able to torment the minds of mortals with terrifying visions that could drive them to madness. Weylan finds out quickly that fate has intervened in his life whether he accepts it or not.